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cucumberleaf sunflower, weak sunflower

desert sunflower

Habit Annuals or perennials, 30–200 cm (taprooted). Annuals, 10–40 cm.
Stems

decumbent to erect, glabrous, hirsute, or puberulent.

(green or red) erect, densely hirsute and gland-dotted.

Leaves

mostly cauline; mostly alternate;

petioles 1–7 cm;

blades deltate-ovate, lance-ovate, or ovate, 2.5–14 × 1.8–13 cm, bases cordate to truncate or broadly cuneate, margins subentire to serrate, abaxial faces glabrate to hispid, not gland-dotted.

mostly cauline; mostly alternate;

petioles 1–6 cm;

blades lanceolate to lance-ovate, 2.5–5 × 1–2 cm, bases cuneate, margins entire, abaxial faces hispid-hirsute, densely gland-dotted.

Peduncles

9–50 cm.

1–3(–8) cm.

Involucres

hemispheric, 10–22 mm diam.

hemispheric, 13–25 mm diam.

Ray florets

11–20;

laminae 12–23 mm.

7–13;

laminae 10–30 mm (abaxial faces gland-dotted).

Disc florets

30+;

corollas 4.5–5 mm, lobes usually reddish, sometimes yellow;

anthers dark, appendages dark (style branches usually reddish, rarely yellow).

25+;

corollas 5.5–6 mm, lobes reddish;

anthers dark, appendages purplish (style branches reddish).

Phyllaries

20–30, lanceolate, 8–17 × 1–3 mm, apices acute to long-attenuate, abaxial faces glabrous or ± hispid, not gland-dotted.

13–21, lanceolate to lance-ovate, 7–19 × 1.5–2 mm (equaling or slightly surpassing discs), (margins ciliate) apices acuminate, abaxial faces hispid (hairs erect, often 1+ mm) gland-dotted.

Heads

1–3.

1–5.

Cypselae

2.5–3.2 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy;

pappi of 2 lanceolate or lance-linear scales 1.2–2.5 mm.

4–5 mm, pilose;

pappi usually of 2 linear scales 1.6–2.5 mm plus 4–6 linear or ovate, erose scales 0.5–1 mm.

Paleae

7.5–8 mm, apices 3-toothed (middle teeth acuminate, usually glabrous or hispid, sometimes ± villous or bearded).

8–9 mm, ± 3-toothed (middle teeth equaling or slightly surpassing discs, apices yellowish brown, usually hispid).

2n

= 34.

Helianthus debilis

Helianthus deserticola

Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Dry, open areas
Elevation 400–1500 m (1300–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; FL; GA; LA; MA; MD; MI; MS; NC; NH; NY; PA; RI; SC; TX; VA; VT; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).

C. B. Heiser (1956) placed 8 subspecies in Helianthus debilis; he noted that alternative taxonomic treatments might recognize these in as many as three species, or expand the single species to include H. petiolaris. Later, Heiser et al. (1969) separated three of the subspecies as H. praecox. Isozyme data (R. P. Wain 1982, 1983; L. H. Rieseberg and M. F. Doyle 1989) show that all are closely related. Documented hybridization with H. annuus further complicates the situation. The treatment by Heiser et al. is followed here.

Helianthus debilis is adventive beyond the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Helianthus deserticola is relatively uncommon; it is not federally listed. Abundant subsessile glands (“resin dots”) on stems, leaves, phyllaries, and abaxial faces of ray laminae help to distinguish H. deserticola from H. anomalus, with which it is sometimes lumped. L. H. Rieseberg (1991) demonstrated that it is of hybrid origin; parental species are H. annuus and H. petiolaris.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems decumbent; peduncles 9–20(–22) cm
→ 2
1. Stems erect; peduncles (15–)20–50 cm
→ 3
2. Stems glabrous or puberulent; leaf blades serrulate or shallowly, regularly serrate, abaxial faces sparsely, if at all, gland-dotted
subsp. debilis
2. Stems hirsute; leaf blades deeply, irregularly serrate, abaxial faces densely gland-dotted
subsp. vestitus
3. Leaves 8–14 cm; peduncles (relatively slender) 20–40 cm; discs 10–15(–17) mm diam
subsp. silvestris
3. Leaves 2.5–9 cm; peduncles (not notably slender) 10–50 cm; discs 14–20 mm diam
→ 4
4. Leaf blades usually deeply, irregularly serrate; peduncles 10–25(–30) cm; ray lami-nae 12–20(–22) mm
subsp. tardiflorus
4. Leaf blades usually shallowly, regularly serrate; peduncles 25–50 cm; ray laminae (15–)20–23 mm
subsp. cucumerifolius
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 150. FNA vol. 21, p. 154.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Helianthinae > Helianthus Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Helianthinae > Helianthus
Sibling taxa
H. agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. annuus, H. anomalus, H. argophyllus, H. arizonensis, H. atrorubens, H. bolanderi, H. californicus, H. carnosus, H. ciliaris, H. cusickii, H. decapetalus, H. deserticola, H. divaricatus, H. eggertii, H. exilis, H. floridanus, H. giganteus, H. glaucophyllus, H. gracilentus, H. grosseserratus, H. heterophyllus, H. hirsutus, H. laciniatus, H. laevigatus, H. longifolius, H. maximiliani, H. microcephalus, H. mollis, H. neglectus, H. niveus, H. nuttallii, H. occidentalis, H. paradoxus, H. pauciflorus, H. petiolaris, H. porteri, H. praecox, H. pumilus, H. radula, H. resinosus, H. salicifolius, H. schweinitzii, H. silphioides, H. simulans, H. smithii, H. strumosus, H. tuberosus, H. verticillatus, H. ×laetiflorus
H. agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. annuus, H. anomalus, H. argophyllus, H. arizonensis, H. atrorubens, H. bolanderi, H. californicus, H. carnosus, H. ciliaris, H. cusickii, H. debilis, H. decapetalus, H. divaricatus, H. eggertii, H. exilis, H. floridanus, H. giganteus, H. glaucophyllus, H. gracilentus, H. grosseserratus, H. heterophyllus, H. hirsutus, H. laciniatus, H. laevigatus, H. longifolius, H. maximiliani, H. microcephalus, H. mollis, H. neglectus, H. niveus, H. nuttallii, H. occidentalis, H. paradoxus, H. pauciflorus, H. petiolaris, H. porteri, H. praecox, H. pumilus, H. radula, H. resinosus, H. salicifolius, H. schweinitzii, H. silphioides, H. simulans, H. smithii, H. strumosus, H. tuberosus, H. verticillatus, H. ×laetiflorus
Subordinate taxa
H. debilis subsp. cucumerifolius, H. debilis subsp. debilis, H. debilis subsp. silvestris, H. debilis subsp. tardiflorus, H. debilis subsp. vestitus
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 367. (1841) Heiser: Proc. Indiana Acad. Sci. 70: 209, fig. 1. (1960)
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